Page 2 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 6 Page 3 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 6 Dear Editor: I learned about Islam through a co-worker in 1989. As I began reading the Holy Koran, I found many interesting things. I like how honor and respectable behavior is stressed in all Muslims. Having lived 22 years in what I deem a corrupt American society, these teachings were a breath of fresh air. I am interested in knowing where I can find additional literature on Islam. I have read a lot about it in the library and I have also attended several forums presented by the Islamic group at S.F. State University. I would also be interested in an article about inter-faith marriages between Moslems and Catholics. I have really enjoyed your “Islamic Bulletin” and would like to subscribe to it and receive it regularly. - Maria Fernandez, San Francisco Response: Dear Maria, Thank you for your letter and your interest in the Islamic Bulletin. I agree an article about inter-faith marriages would be of great interest to our readers. Readers, please send your articles or stories on the above topic. Dear Editor: I found a copy of the Islamic Bulletin, Vol I, No. 2, Ramadan issue. It is marvelous. Could you please send me a collection of the same? I am a Muslim, and Afghan, a cultural servant and an editor of the Nama-e-Khorassan. I will send you soon a copy of my magazine and a Tafsir which I have published here. Hoping to hear from you soon. - G H Koshan, Hayward Please start participating by sending us your letters, comments or suggestions so that we can make ‘The Islamic Bulletin’ your favorite one. Letters To The Editor Bay Area Muslims Spend Time in Jail San Quentin: Nine Bay Area Muslims have begun visiting and teaching Islamic classes to both the Muslim inmates and newcomers to Islam. The number of Muslims has increased to 300 with many more interested in converting. Every 3rd and 4th Thursday of each month visits are held between 6:00 and 9:00 pm. Islamic talks and Arabic classes are also held weekly, as well as daily and Jumha prayers. There is also a full-time Imam present, along with a library of books and Islamic videos. If you would like to donate Islamic reading materials contact Imam Rafiq Hassan at 415-454-1460 (Extension 2377). Bulgaria’s Muslims Can Adopt Islamic Names Sofia: Bulgaria’s 1.5 million Muslims can now adopt Islamic names. The country’s parliament passed a bill allowing the ethnic Turk and Pomak Muslims to take Islamic names and also allowing them to revert to their original names which were forcibly changed to Bulgarian-Slavic origin under a policy of assimilation. The parliament took up the bill on a priority basis when 3000 Pomack Muslims made sit-in protests around the building. Ever since the departure of the repressive regime of Todor Zhivkov, the new Bulgarian government has been pursuing a policy of liberalization. Baitul Qur’an Opened Manama: “Baitul Qur’an”, $10 million academy-museum designed to promote Islamic studies and preserving rare manuscripts of the Qur’an was inaugurated. The “Baitul Qur’an” is a two storied building with marble tiled exterior which resembles pages of the Qur’an with engraved verses and chiselled classical Islamic Art embellishments. The center comprises a mosque, school, lecture hall, library and museum. The mosque has about 80,000 volumes related to Qur’anic research in Arabic, English, and French. The library provides special facilities for scholars and researches completewithword processors, stenographers and recording devices. There is also a museum with a collection of the world’s “most valuable and priceless manuscripts of the Qur’an.” Nudity Banned on the Algerian Beaches Algiers: Islamic Front controlled Municipalities in several towns and cities of Algeria have introduced unisex schools and banned obscene dresses on beaches along the Mediterranean coast. It has also banned “Ra” music, a kind of Arabic rock music eulogizing love, sex, and youthful revolts. These wide ranging reforms within amonth of Islamic Salvation Front’s stunning success in the country’s first ever multiparty elections have been widely welcomed in the country which had hitherto been ruled by socialists. Alcoholic beverages are also being phased and the distribution of non-alcoholic drinks is being reorganized. Need to contact us? Web Address: www.islamicbulletin.org E-Mail: info@islamicbulletin.org Editor, Islamic Bulletin P.O. Box 410186 San Francisco, CA 94141-0186, USA Zakat and Sadaqat - Introduction Throughout this newsletter, the words sadaqah and zakah have been used interchangeably which might cause confusion in some of our readers’ mind. The reason for such confusion is obvious: if sadaqah and zakah are the same, then why not stick to one term? On the other hand, if the two vary in meaning, then why not use their precise application according to the text’s demands? As such, a little explanation is due. Linguistically, sadaqah is derived from the root sadq or sidq, which means “to speak the truth, to be sincere.” It can also mean, “candor and efficiency.” The Qur’anic lexicon transfigures this verbal root into sadaqah - a term applicable to the concept of a gift offered to someone from one’s rightfully owned holdings without regret or remorse or without any ulterior motives, in short, for the pleasure of God, the Exalted. It therefore parts of four essential elements: legitimacy of one’s holdings, sincerity of intention, altruistic motives, and the condition that it is for God, The Almighty. At first glance, sincerity of intention, altruism, and seeking God’s pleasure may strike a case of redundancy. However, the three are interdependent. For example, a person could be sincere in helping others; he could also be motivated by altruism. Still, the two would not endow it with the character of a sadaqah because of one missing ingredient - that is, giving it for God, The Almighty alone. This is so because sadaqah is not an exclusive concept. Rather, it is embedded in the eschatology of Islam which paradoxically includes the concerns of this life as well. Not surprisingly, the Qur’an refers to the giving of sadaqat as an essential component of its program for mankind. While giving the oath of allegiance (bai’ah) to Muhammad (S.A.W.), the companions used to promise that they would, among other things spend in the way of God - whether they were rich or poor. Why sadaqat were tied in the bai’ah is a question worth pondering. Though voluntary by nature, the promise to give sadaqat was an essential part of the oath because, without such an undertaking, the new community could not have survived even its first test. Sadaqat symbolized in ameaningful way the solidarity and brotherhood among the members of the Muslim ummah. They provided a safety net for the newly initiated who were alienating themselves from their kafir (unbelieving) society and thus facing economic hardships. Limiting it to a specific amount would have been damaging to the very concept by vitiating its voluntary character. At the same time, it would have denied the community the vast resources that it garnished for its need through sadaqat. Last, it would have retarded the spiritual and moral growth of its members which the promise of Islam held for them. It is peculiar to the spirit of Islam that it took not to be despised or ignored, and where people felt bound to each other because they cared. This kind of social realignment necessarily originated in the Islamic concept that God is compassionate and Who, in the eloquent words of the Qur’an, “kattaba rab-bukum ‘ala naf si hir-rahmah,” has taken upon Himself mercy for the believers. The divine virtue therefore had to be reflected in the believers’ character. Sadaqat provided not only a catharsis for the individual sense of guilt toward the deprived but they also imparted a sense of achievement to the giver that he was a partner in the collective effort to usher in a new dawn. Thus, sadaqat had to go beyond the meaning of charity or beneficence. Even though giving away money was its most potent expression, it never stayed imprisoned in its material mold; it stretched itself to become a style of life - a new paradigm. That is why, according to the ahadith, a sadaqah could be anything. Size, amount, or form is immaterial. A flicker of smile that comes on a believer’s face at the sight of another believer or his removal of any hazardous material from a road is as valuable as a big donation could be. In a very remarkable hadith, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari reported that the Prophet, (S.A.W.), as saying that every Muslim must give sadaqah (charity). He (the Messenger) was asked how could this apply to one who had nothing, and he replied that he should work with his hands, gaining benefit for himself thereby and giving sadaqah. Asked what would happen if a person was unable to do this or did not do it, the Messenger replied that he should help one who is in need and sad. Asked what he should do if he did not do that, he replied that he should do if he did not do that, he replied that he should refrain from evil, for that would be sadaqah for him. - Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Mishkat-al-Masabih, vol. 1, p. 403. What matters in such cases is the intention. If it is for God, The Almighty, then it falls within the ambit of worship. Paradoxically, it does not assume the character of an obligation, even though in some ways, its reward defies any time frame and continues benefiting the doer as long as his sadaqah has validity to life. For example, the construction of a school or the raising of a good Muslim family survives the dead and any good accrued on them benefits the dead. This is strikingly different from prayer (salah) and fasting (siyam) which because of its esoteric nature go with the deceased at the time of death. The definition of Zakat is that portion of a person’s wealth which is designated for the poor. The term is derived from the Arabic verbal root meaning “to increase”, “to purify”, and “to bless.” It finds its origin in God’s command to: “Take sadaqah (charity) from their property in order to purify and sanctify them.” (Qur’an at-Taubah:103) That is why this kind of sadaqah is called zakah, for by paying it; one is aspiring to attain blessing, purification, and the cultivation of good deeds. Taking into account its very nature, it is no wonder that zakah constitutes one of the pillars of Islam. It is associated with prayer (salah) in eighty-two Quranic verses. God, the Exalted One, prescribed it in The Quran, His Messenger (pbuh) corroborated it by his sunnah, and the community (ummah) upheld it. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that when the Holy Prophet (pbuh) sent Mu’adh ibn Jabal to Yemen (as its governor), he said to him: “You are going to a people who are People of the Scripture. Invite them to accept the shahadah: that there is no God but Allah and I am His Messenger. If they accept and affirm this, tell them that God has enjoined five prayers upon them during the day and night. If they accept that, tell them also that He has enjoined sadaqah upon their assets which will be taken from the rich of the Muslim community and distributed to the poor. If they accept that, refrain from laying hands upon the best of their goods and fear the cry of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between God and it.” At-Tabarani relates in al-’Aswat and as-Saghir, on the authority of Ali, that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “God has enjoined upon rich Muslims a due to be taken from their properties corresponding to the needs of the poor among them. The poor will never suffer from starvation or lack of clothing unless the rich neglect their due. If they do so, God will surely hold them accountable and punish them severely.” - According to at-Tabarani: “It was only by Thabit ibn Muhammad as-Zahid.” Of Thabit’s credibility, al- Hafiz in turn says: “Thabit was an honest and trustworthy person. Al-Bukhari and others related from him, and the rest of the narrators in the chain are considered as accepted authorities.” In the early days of Islam, no limit or restriction was placed on the amount to be donated, for that decision was left to the individual Muslim’s conscience and generosity. In the second year of hijrah, both the type and the quantity of zakah revenues were determined, and detailed illustrations were provided. Zakah in Islamic Jurisprudence “It is not righteousness that ye turn, your faces toward East or West, but righteousness it is to believes in God and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and give zakat. To fulfill the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.” (Qur’an 2:177 ) To the Qur’anic word Zakah and the meaning it conveys, there is no equivalent in any other language as far as we know. It is not just a form of charity or alms-giving or tax or tithe. Nor simply an expression of kindness; it is all of these combined and much more. It is not merely a deduction of a certain percentage from one’s property, but an abundant enrichment and spiritual investment. Zakat - Charity
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